The proposed programme is of huge importance because cassava production, processing and marketing provides a major source of income for 450 million people of often women, the vulnerable and the poorest in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and in many other countries in South and South East Asia.
Cassava is not only strategically important as a food security source and famine reserve combining high calorific efficiency with versatile low-cost input, reliable and flexible production, but now seen as a pro-poor vehicle for development and mass job creation that is more resistant to climate change impact than any other crops. Cassava farmers particularly from remote areas experience restricted market access for their produce. Roots are highly perishable, bulky and expensive to transport and the crop has low multiplication rates due to competition with higher value and higher status crops.
In Ghana, cassava production is increasing at 5% every year as a result of rising demand for the produce for industrial purposes but Ghana continues to import products like starch, flour, sweeteners that can be made from cassava. Basic cassava food grade staples like Agbelima, Gari, Roots for Fufu and Ampesi tend to face erratic supply challenges with occasional unimaginable price hikes. The paradox is due to how cassava is produced, processed, marketed and consumed in Ghana in a largely subsistence to semi-commercial manner.